The points of issue
First English edition, translated by Nicholas de Lange, 1988, issued by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in the US and Chatto & Windus in the UK. Epistolary novel. Cloth with dust jacket; the US printing carries a number line ending in 1 on the true first. Hebrew original published 1987.
Is this the true first?
The 1988 English edition is the first in English. US HBJ and UK Chatto & Windus both appeared in 1988; confirm priority by imprint and copyright page rather than assuming. The novel won the Prix Femina Etranger.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Vintage and Harvest paperbacks are reprints, not the first edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Black Box (Kufsah Shehorah) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First English edition, translated by Nicholas de Lange, 1988, issued by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in the US and Chatto & Windus in the UK. Epistolary novel. Cloth with dust jacket; the US printing carries a number line ending in 1 on the true first. Hebrew original published 1987.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The 1988 English edition is the first in English. US HBJ and UK Chatto & Windus both appeared in 1988; confirm priority by imprint and copyright page rather than assuming. The novel won the Prix Femina Etranger.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Vintage and Harvest paperbacks are reprints, not the first edition.
I have a first edition of Black Box (Kufsah Shehorah) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.